NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ZymoGenetics, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZGEN) and Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, announced today the initiation of a Phase 2/3 clinical trial of atacicept in lupus nephritis, a severe form of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The kidneys are affected in at least 30% of the estimated 1.5 million people suffering from SLE worldwide. This study will evaluate the efficacy and safety of atacicept for the treatment of patients with active lupus nephritis.
